15-11-2024.

After writing many articles condemning the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), its apparent lacklustre performance and its staff, it must come to my readers as somewhat of a surprise that today I have changed my tone to urging for our collective support and encouragement to the company.

The reason is that KEDCO is trying its very best for its customers to mitigate the (deliberate?) unending failure of the National Grid, which appears to be affecting most parts of the Northern part of the country, thereby becoming a constant source of DARKNESS and collapse of many industries in the region.

In a recent press statement, the company announced that it had secured a loan of $100 (US) to make electricity available 24 hours per day for its customers in its area of operation in the States of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa. The company therefore, desires, wants and expects support from all of us, including, but not limited to the regular payment of monthly bills by its customers, corporates and individuals.

KEDCO announced in the statement that it was pleased to announce a partnership and initially investment of about $100 million to develop a 100MW ‘safe grid’ for Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states, to provide 24 hours electricity supply to key industries, commercial hubs, and critical government infrastructure, eliminating reliance on the national grid”.

The company added that the “Project will build the first 20MW power plant (of the 100MW) with Utilita under an Emergency Project valued at $20 million that will be operational by the end of the year to begin supply for the ‘safe grid’. The Generation units are already available and KEDCO is accelerating project development ahead of installation and commissioning in the Tamburawa area”.

In the second paragraph of this write up, the frequent collapse of the National Grid was questioned because of the retention of the the  underperforming Power Minister Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, in the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu government, despite the recent shakeup in the cabinet to rid it of less performing ministers. But the retention of Mr. Adebayo in the cabinet suggests that his performance was satisfactory to the president.

This is the president who overwhelmingly got his supporters and voters from the North, NOT his prepared South West region where he was flatly rejected by most of the voters, and even suffered defeat in the presidential election of 2023. Only a minority of his fellow tribal bigots supported and gave him their votes during the poll that produced him as the President of Nigeria.

Majority of his tribe people rejected him because they knew that he was not the saint he claims to be, but a bent non performer, whose expertise is collecting free rent for himself and those obsequious followers around him. Such people, no doubt, must include the untouchable power minister, among some others.

Many of the others were eager and willing participants in the massive and constant rape of the Commonwealth by ‘ogas’ from the above. They include the Senate President, who supervised the PADDING of the budget every year, other underperforming ‘elected’ members of the National Assembly (NASS) or (mare seat warmers), many of who are from the North, and found themselves in the hallowed chambers courtesy of cronyism, not the competence to give a good representation to their various constituents.

But for the stark incompetence, greed and selfishness of most so called Northern leaders, the region should not be neglected and treated as a pariah in the nation, despite its having the highest number of voters than any region in the country. But most of its leaders would readily dump even their mothers if they are invited to ‘eat free of charge’ from the ‘national cake’. For majority of them, it is not about principle, but about being with those who are in government. Imagine someone who, barely two years ago, claimed that ‘even if you give Tinubu 30 years, nothing will work’, is today serving the same Tinubu as a Special Adviser.

Northerners are they who would be thrown into jail for the slightest utterance or action perceived by the present tribalist bigoted administration, but people from the Southern part of the country can say or do anything with impunity. An Igbo lady was seen arrogantly waving the Biafran flag, and some people in Ibadan blocked the path of militar vehicles and called on the occupants to TAKE OVER from the present president, arguing that the president only delights in infighting more pains on his poor country people. 

Yet, the action of the lady and the utterance of the Ibadan people were not considered treasonable enough, but the action of the young man in Mayo Balwa in Yobe state, who climbed atop of an electric pole and insisted on coming down ONLY when the hardship in the country is eased, was pounced upon and thrown into Police dungeon for treasonable action.

And the North is supposed to have so called representatives and  ‘big’ people in large number who only care about themselves, and will go to any lengths to protect their interests in the country. If you do not ‘belong’ to those who are immediate to them, even ordinary applications would not come your way with ease. In Nigeria, employers of vacancies in sought after jobs, do not want to know WHAT you know, but WHO you know. Who the applicants know always determines the outcome of their fate.

Which is why only the children or cronies of the the so called Northern leaders are mostly found occupying offices in top government organisations, the children of the ordinary Northern people are only found useful during elections, when they are used to rig for their masters or candidates of their masters. This they often do, for a pittance and enough drugs and alcohol, or both, to render them mercilessly drugged or drunk for the ‘assignment’.

Nonetheless, KEDCO needs the support and prayers of one and all the people from the states of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa to succeed in this laudable undertaking.

May God enable Nigerians, wherever they may be, to shun those who protect their children, but use the children of the ordinary citizens to carry out very dirty, violent, unlawful and undignified activities for them. And dump them, when the ‘job’ is done, only to return when they need the services of the commoners.

Malumfashi wrote from Katsina.